Do ruminating thoughts regularly disrupt your sleep and keep you awake at night?   In this episode of the Align podcast, Dr. Ethan Kross and I chat about how to effectively deal with chatter, and self-criticism. We also talk about high individualism as well as our relationship with others and our thoughts towards them. Lastly, we also touch on having internal dialogues to switch our overall perspective in life.   Ethan Kross, PhD, is one of the world's leading experts on controlling the conscious mind. He is an award-winning professor at the University of Michigan and the Ross School of Business, and is the director of the Emotion & Self Control Laboratory. He has also participated in policy discussion at the White House and has been interviewed on CBS Evening News, Good Morning America, Anderson Cooper Full Circle, and NPR's Morning Edition.    Ethan Kross, PhD, wrote a book called Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It   3:50: What are the physical toggles to change our state of mind? 6:33: How do we find our awe triggers? 8:25: Paradox of high individualism 11:52: When is self-criticism a good thing? 14:00: How can "splitting oneself" help in overcoming struggles? 16:00: How congruent is our relationship with ourselves and others? 18:23: Should we be held accountable for EVERY thought we have? 23:20: What is the value of shame? 29:10:  Does our brain have sovereignty over life occurrences?